What Happens Next?
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter ^^.
Chapter Eight
Izumi goes to get Sasuke. Today was the big day. The Uchiha and Hyuga Clans were meeting officially for the first time in years. To say that she was nervous was an understatement. Which was probably why she overreacted to seeing an orange book on Sasuke's bed.
"SASUKE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT TRASH?!" She screeches at her "baby brother."
Sasuke looks at Izumi in confusion. What was she screaming about? What trash. He looked around his room. It was perfectly clean. There was no garbage and even if it was a mess, why would she freak out that much about it?
"Izumi, what are you talking about?" Her brother-in-law inquires in an utterly baffled voice.
"She means that book on your bed. Everyone knows that series." Itachi says, having come to see what all the screaming was about.
Sasuke blinks. He looks on his bed. Sure enough, there was a trademark orange book on his bed. How the Hell had that gotten there? He definitely didn't purchase that stuff.
Maybe it was a gift from Kakashi. But it would have been weird for the CopyCat Ninja to sneak into his room just to leave a book. Wouldn't it have been easier just to hand it to him?
"I have no idea how that got there. Must be a gift from Kakashi. I don't read that garbage." Sasuke says with a shrug.
"He's telling the truth and you know it. Even if he wasn't, he's a grown man now. Izumi, if he wants to read erotic literature, it's his right to do so." Itachi says and kisses his pregnant wife's cheek.
"BUT I DON'T WANT TO READ EROTIC LITERATURE!" Sasuke growls out.
"Sasuke, there is no need to be shout. It's only perfectly natural to be curious about such things. Every man reads such things or watches such things at least once or twice. It's just human nature." Itachi says reasonably.
"I DIDN'T DO IT!" His younger brother growls and Itachi smirks, it was fun to tease his foolish little brother.
It wasn't his fault that Sasuke was so easily flustered. Honestly, Itachi didn't have any idea how the Rookie Nine were ever going to have children. They were all so easy to embarrass when it came to the topic of intimacy. He wondered if his generation had been that easily flustered and he just hadn't noticed.
"What's all this shouting about and why aren't you three out the door already?" Fugaku asks, peeking his head into Sasuke's room.
"I found an erotic novel on Sasuke's bed. But he says he didn't read it. He must be telling the truth because the jutsu is still in effect as far as I know." Izumi mutters.
Fugaku shakes his head in amusement. He knew that his daughter-in-law was very protective of his youngest son. But honestly, he was a grown man now. His reading habits were really none of her concerns. It wasn't like he was some Academy student and she had found him with that book.
"As amusing as this all is, we had best be going. We are going to need some help carrying the food." He says and heads off.
Sasuke, Itachi, and Izumi sigh as they head to the kitchen. Each was given mountains of food to carry. Sasuke was starting to wonder if they were having one meal or preparing for a siege. That was a lot of food.
After awhile, they arrive at the Forest of Death. He could tell that of his fellow clansmen and all of the clanswomen were very anxious. This was either the beginning of a powerful alliance or could possibly trigger a Clan War. Even the children were nervous because they had sensed their parents' unease.
"The Hyugas are coming." Shisui whispers and points to a group of Hyugas that were approaching.
It seemed that the Clans were more alike than they cared to admit. The Hyugas were carrying as much food as the Uchihas. Perhaps baking and cooking had been a way for them all to deal with the stress of the upcoming meeting.
"Welcome. We are very glad that you were able to join us on this day." Fugaku greets Hiashi and the rest of his Clan, bowing in respect.
"As are we. I believe there is much that we have to discuss." Hiashi agrees and returns the bow.
The Uchihas and Hyugas all quickly take their seats after laying the food down. The two mighty Clans eye each other warily. They look to their leaders for guidance about how to proceed? Should they attempt small talk or just keep quiet? No one really knew what the proper protocol in this situation was.
Somehow Sasuke ends up sitting next to Hinata. He hadn't planned on this. But he didn't think that it was a coincidence either.
He glances at Shisui suspiciously. The man looked entirely too pleased with himself and that was why Sasuke suspected somehow he had made it so that Sasuke was sitting next to Hinata.
"ATTENTION EVERYONE!" The Hyuga Patriarch bellows.
Yeah, it was definitely a Clan Leader thing. Sasuke now knew that you had to have rather impressive lung capacity to be a Clan Head. How did his father and Hiashi do that? He supposed it didn't matter, all eyes were now on the Hyuga Patriarch.
"I would like to thank Sasuke for saving Hinata once again. That is the reason why we are meeting here today. For too long, our Clans have been estranged. Though we share blood ties, we have not treated each other as we should." He begins.
Hinata watches her father carefully. She knew this was a big gamble and it was all because of her. Hiashi never would have done this, if Sasuke hadn't saved her. It made her nervous that whatever happened, somehow she was unwittingly responsible for it.
Sasuke saw Hinata was just as anxious as he was. He subtly slides his hand underneath the table and places it on top of her own, giving hers a light squeeze of reassurance. She gives him a shy smile in return for this gesture that made Sasuke sure that his heart had skipped a beat.
"You're welcome. I am honored by your invitation to be here." Sasuke says quickly, realizing that apparently he might actually be expected to talk while at this gathering.
Hiashi nods at this. Thankfully, it looked like he and Fugaku were going to run the show. The two men continue.
"As my son said, we are honored by your invitation. Our family is most interested in reestablishing the old ties that once bound us together." His father replies.
"For now, we shall spend the night in each other's company. Eat, drink, and enjoy the festivities." Hiashi says and everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief.
It was only a night of levity. The Gods and Goddesses had been merciful on this day. They had expected something more…formal. Formal gatherings were the most nerve wracking. There were a million ways you could insult someone at them and not mean to.
"Daughter, you seem to be in good spirits. It is good that you are able to maintain a vision of serenity during times like this. It will make you a good Clan Head one day." He comments.
"Thank you, father. I was nervous at first. But I feel better now." She replies and Sasuke sips on his glass of wine.
"That's good. What has caused you to feel more at ease? I should like to know. Perhaps we can let our clansmen and clanswomen know. It may make things easier for everyone involved." The Hyuga Patriarch inquires casually.
"Sasuke placed his hand on mine. It made me feel better to know I wasn't alone." She answers and Sasuke chokes on his wine, quickly moving his hand off of Hinata's.
Damn Truth Jutsu! It was going to get them all killed! Things had been going so well to! Now Hiashi probably thought he was trying to seduce his eldest daughter or something! Damn it! Damn it!
"It is heartwarming to see a friendship blossom between two members of our Clans. I have hopes that someday, Uchiha and Hyuga children will be able to play together as friends. My wife and I are expecting our first child later this year." Itachi says, coming to Sasuke's rescue.
"Congratulations. Yes, it is a good sign that a Hyuga and an Uchiha can comfort one another. I never thought I would live to see such a day." Hiashi says.
Sasuke shoots Itachi a grateful look. He may have just saved the negotiations. He saw Hinata give him an apologetic look. He shakes his head. It wasn't her fault. It was the damn Truth Jutsu. If she wasn't under its spell, Sasuke was positive she never would have actually told Hiashi that.
"Thank you." Itachi says with a smile.
Shisui was Shisui. He loved women. The fact that they were Hyuga women apparently didn't intimate him in the slightest. Sasuke watches as his bolder cousin flirts with what he assumed were Branch Members.
He supposed it was logical to shoot for a Branch Member. They would be eager to marry outside the Clan. There were very few Clans that a Hyuga could marry into that were considered a "good match." The Uchihas were one of them because of the Sharingan.
"Yeah, so this monkey got into my squads camp somehow. He stole all our clothes. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it really happened." Shisui insists.
"Then what did you do?" A Hyuga woman asks with a giggle.
"We spent the whole day chasing at that damn monkey, naked as the day we were born! Finally, got our clothes back. You wouldn't believe how fast those beasts are." He replies.
The women giggle. Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. That was Shisui for you. He was absolutely fearless when it came to the opposite sex. Sasuke couldn't believe the idiot had told them a monkey stole his clothes and somehow that seemed to work as a pick up line.
"I wish I had been there. It would have been great fun to see you prance around naked after that monkey." One of the women says.
"HALA! Conduct yourself properly!" Hiashi admonishes and she mumbles and apology blushing.
"Oh that are merely engaging in some harmless flirtation." Mikoto says.
Hiashi blinks. Harmless flirtation?! Hala had been talking about watching the young Uchiha run about naked. That was considered harmless flirtation?!
"I can see from the look on your face, you are not used to how our Clan interacts. We are a more…direct Clan when it comes to matters of the heart." Fugaku says.
"More direct?! If that was harmless flirtation, what is your idea of outrageous flirtation?!" He inquires.
"Oh that was when I showed up in Fugaku's police office one day with fuzzy handcuffs." Mikoto answers without thinking about it because of the Truth Jutsu.
Hiashi falls out of his chair. Sasuke and Itachi looked rather traumatized at this answer. Fugaku receives a few pats on the back at this because well Mikoto was a beautiful woman. Who wouldn't want her to show up at their office with fuzzy handcuffs? Mikoto smiles at some of the giggles and other gestures of approval from the various women.
"My love, I would appreciate it…if you didn't disclose such details publicly." Fugaku says.
"Sorry. It's the Truth Jutsu. He asked…" Mikoto mumbles and Fugaku shakes his head, kissing her cheek.
Sasuke decides he had to save this conversation. It was getting far too awkward. He never wanted to hear the words fuzzy handcuffs and his parents mentioned together again.
"The food is delicious." He comments.
"Thank you. I made that pudding myself. Recipe has been in our family for generations." An elderly Hyuga woman says.
"I can see why." Itachi adds, also eager to steer the conversation back to more proper territory.
At some point, the Hyugas busted out some of their instruments. Soft classical music began to play. The Hyuga family deeply cherished the arts and that included music.
Izumi glares daggers at anyone who dares to approach Itachi and ask him for a dance. Shisui was happily carted off to dance with Uchiha and Hyuga women alike. Hiashi mutters something about the good old days. Sasuke politely turns down requests for to dance with him.
"Why do you always say no?" Hinata asks.
"I can't dance. I don't want to embarrass myself. I never took the time to learn. It always seemed pointless." Sasuke mutters.
Hinata blinks. She couldn't believe it. Sasuke didn't know how to dance? But he was so graceful. How had he made it so long as the son of a Clan Head without learning how to dance? Oh well, she could fix that right now.
"I could teach you, if you want." She offers shyly.
Sasuke tilts his head to the side. He hadn't expected that. Hinata was actually asking to be his dance instructor? That was shockingly bold of her.
He knew her well enough that for her, this required an enormous amount of courage. If he said no, she'd be crushed. Sasuke wasn't cruel enough to do that to her, for no reason. The youngest son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha could humor her for an hour or two.
"Alright." He says and follows her to where some other members of their respective families were dancing.
"Would you care to show my foolish little brother how it is done?" Itachi asks Izumi slyly and offers her his hand.
She smiles and takes it. Itachi could be surprisingly playful at times. Gods and Goddesses did she love this man. Fortunately, her pregnancy wasn't far enough along, that dancing would be awkward. She quickly glides alongside him until they had joined where the other dancers were.
"This is a slow dance. So first you wrap your arms around my waist and I wrap mine around your neck." Hinata whispers.
Sasuke didn't think that was a good idea. His body had already decided it liked being close to hers way too much. But he had already agreed to this dance lesson. So there wasn't really any chance to back out now, without hurting her feelings. So he wraps his arms around her waist.
Hinata smiles. She places her arms around his neck. The bluenette looked so happy about him complying with such simple request. He couldn't help but return her smile.
"Alright. What next?" He asks.
"Well you move from side to side with me. Look at Itachi and Izumi." She says with a smile.
Sasuke does indeed look at Itachi and Izumi. They might have started out dancing. But at the moment, Itachi had her "dipped" and was kissing his pregnant wife.
"Not sure you want to dance with me like that." Sasuke replies.
"What do you mean?" Hinata asks innocently.
"You clearly haven't looked at them in the last minute or so." He replies.
Hinata tilts her head. She glances at the Uchiha couple. The bluenette feels her face heat up in embarrassment. They were kissing rather passionately and Itachi held his wife in a rather firm dip.
Her family was far more private when it came to expressing affection in public. This was made rather obvious by the fact that more than one Hyuga was staring at the newlyweds. Sasuke shakes his head in amusement and twirls Hinata.
"I tried to warn you." He says and his voice was filled with mischief.
"You are going to laugh at me." She mumbles and is twirled by the Uchiha.
"I wouldn't laugh at you. I'd be laughing with you. Itachi and Izumi are newlyweds. They can't keep their hands off each other. That's how she got pregnant in the first place." He states.
Sasuke blinks. Hinata blushed as red as a tomato. Then she fainted. He caught her and quickly checks her pulse. He sighs in relief.
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Hiashi demands as he rushes over.
"She fainted. I thinks he's not used to the kind of affection Itachi and Izumi were displaying towards each other being shown in public. She's very shy." Sasuke mutters.
Hiashi sighs. He knew that much was true. Hinata had always been rather easily flustered. He walks over to Sasuke and takes the bluenette out of his arms.
"Thank you for catching her. I'm going to take her home. Tell everyone they can continue enjoying themselves as long as they wish." He states and heads off with Hinata.
Sasuke sighs in relief. That could have easily ended in disaster. Thank the Gods and Goddesses that Hiashi didn't think he had done something to his daughter. That would have been the end of all peace talks and the beginning of a Clan War.
Hours later, the Uchihas and Hyugas head off. Fugaku takes Sasuke off to the side. Sasuke blinks. That was rare.
"Yes, father?" He asks.
"What exactly is going on with you and Hiashi's eldest daughter?" He asks.
"She was teaching me how to dance and got flustered by the sight of Izumi and Itachi kissing." He explains.
Fugaku raises an eyebrow. He knew that was the truth. But he also knew it wasn't the whole truth. One didn't maintain their position as a Clan Head by being oblivious. If you didn't know what was going on under your own roof, you didn't tend to keep your leadership position long. (Or in some cases, even your own life.)
"And?" He inquires in such a way that Sasuke knew he wasn't going to get out of this one, so easily.
"We went on a date. It wasn't on purpose though. We both won some free dinner contest. It was nothing. Strictly platonic. I mean she looked really good in her kimono and she has a very nice backside, but… DAMN IT!" Sasuke hisses in irritation at himself.
Fugaku chuckles. Well that answered that question. He was just attracted to a pretty girl. It was normal for a man his age. At least he hadn't been foolish enough to actually act on it.
"And have you…done more than admire her nice backside?" He asks in amusement.
"What?! No. Of course not. Things are way too tense between our Clans. I'd never risk endangering our family because I found someone attractive!" He protests.
"You are a good boy, Sasuke. We shall see how this truce works out. In time, it might even lead to an alliance. While, I would urge you not to…do more than admire at the moment, in the future it might be possible. Just don't jump the kunai. Alright?" He asks.
Sasuke blinks. In a way his father had approved of Hinata. Well he had approved of her in a possible future anyway. Still that was far more than he had ever expected.
"Wait did you just…give me permission to court her?" Sasuke asks in confusion.
"I gave you permission to court her, if things go well. I don't know if they will or not at this point. Though I imagine, courtship will be difficult… the poor girl does have a habit of fainting a lot. Are you certain that she can, handle your affections?" He asks.
Sasuke blinks again. He couldn't believe it. Fugaku Uchiha was sanctioning a potential courtship between a Hyuga and an Uchiha. Pigs really did fly after all.
"I don't know if she even likes me that way. It's just a physical attraction at this point. I mean I like her. She's nice. But…it's not like I'm ready to propose marriage." Sasuke says in a rush.
"Of course. It's very rare that a man finds a woman attractive enough that he immediately proposes on the first date." His father says with a chuckle.
"…" Sasuke is speechless.
"It's late. You should get some sleep. Don't you have training tomorrow?" He asks.
"Yeah. I do. Night father." Sasuke says as he heads to his bedroom.
What a strange day. The Hyugas and Uchihas had dinner together. He'd danced with Hinata. Fuzzy handcuffs. His father sorta approved of his potential relationship with Hinata. Yeah… it had been a strange day.
Meanwhile Hinata wakes up in her own room. She looks around in confusion. What had happened? One minute she was talking with Sasuke and the next she woke up at home?
"It's alright, Hinata. You merely fainted at the festivities. You are safe at home now." Hiashi assures his eldest daughter.
"Oh. I hope I didn't ruin everyone's fun." She mumbles and feels embarrassed at having fainted.
He shakes his head. Hinata was such a considerate person. She fainted and her first concern was others. She was just like her mother that way. Gods and Goddesses how he missed that woman.
"Good night. Don't fret over it. I'm certain everyone understands. In case you are wondering, the rest of the night went off without further incident. I am hopeful for a truce or even an alliance one day. It's all in their hands now." He says as he walks off.
Hinata nods and bids her father good night. She couldn't believe that she had fainted in front of Sasuke. Well it wasn't like it was anything she hadn't done before.
She had fainted in front of Naruto lots of times. Sasuke was almost always with Naruto, if he wasn't with his Clan. He'd seen her faint before. It wasn't like it was anything new.
So why did she feel so embarrassed? She still was kicking herself for telling her father about Sasuke holding her hand. He had been trying to be nice and how did she repay him? She repaid him by nearly sabotaging the talks!
"He is a fast learner though." She mumbles, remembering their dance.
Well that was to be expected. The Hyuga and Uchiha Clan were filled with prodigies. Why should learning how to dance be anymore difficult for them, than learning how to throw a kunai?
Speaking of kunais, that brought up rather scandalous images in her mind. She slaps her forehead and sighs. Damn it. She had a crush on an Uchiha. What was she going to do now?